FOREWORD

This report is one of a series of reports produced as part of a contract designed to develop precise, detailed human factors design guidelines for Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) and Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO). The contractual effort consists of three phases: analytic, empirical, and integration. This report is a product of the empirical phase. The empirical phase will also address topics such as: ATIS function transition, display channels, multi–modality displays, CVO driver fatigue, display formats and workload, and head–up displays. Among the analytic topics discussed in the series are a functional description of ATIS/CVO, comparable systems analysis, task analysis of ATIS/CVO functions, alternate systems analysis, identification and exploration of driver acceptance, and definition and prioritization of research studies.

This report describes an experimental examination of In–Vehicle Safety Advisory and Warning Systems (IVSAWS) and In–Vehicle Signing Information Systems (ISIS) characteristics and their effect on driver performance. The study examines the impact of display modality, message style, and display location on driver compliance with warning messages and driving safety.

A. George Ostensen, Director
Office of Safety and Traffic
Operations Research and Development

NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for its content or use thereof. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.

The United States Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade and manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the object of the document.

This report describes the results of an experiment that examines the effect of Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) devices. Specifically,
it examines how In–Vehicle Safety and Warning Systems (IVSAWS) and In–Vehicle Signing and Information
Systems (ISIS) characteristics affect driver compliance with warning messages and driving safety. These characteristics include display modality, message
style, and display location. A general issue facing ATIS designers is the concern that ATIS warning messages may go unheeded by drivers. Therefore,
a critical element of ATIS design concerns is making information easily accessible and compelling so drivers comply with the warnings. The results
show converging evidence that ATIS warnings can generate greater compliance compared to road signs. Another general issue that faces ATIS designers
is the potential for ATIS devices to undermine driving safety. The results of this experiment show that ATIS devices can undermine driving safety
by fostering an overreliance on ATIS information. The results also show how particular ATIS design characteristics can minimize the overreliance
and its negative effects on driving safety.

17. Key Words

ATIS, ISIS, ITS, IVSAWS, warning compliance, driving safety.

18. Distribution Statement

No restrictions. This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia, 22161.